Tag: know the plant world closely

• An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water or from debris accumulating around it.
• Most epiphytic orchids are found growing in tropical areas below the canopy of trees. Epiphytic orchids have adapted to obtain water and nutrients that grow with their roots which are located aerially.
  
• They have thick, spongy roots that absorb and store water and nutrients from the sporadic rainfall to be used over time.
  

• Pitcher plants are several different carnivorous plants which have modified leaves (act as a pitcher) which are known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. 
• These plants trap harmful insects and kill them with the help of digestive fluid.

Symbiosis is any type of close and long-term biological interaction or relationship between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic or commensalistic. It is usually a form of beneficial relationship in which both organisms are benefited.

• A parasite is an organism that lives on or in a host organism and gets its food or nutrition from its host (plants and animals). There are three main classes of parasites that can cause disease in humans: protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites.
• Parasites come in many shapes and sizes and include viruses and bacteria, various worms, plants, fungi, insects, and even birds and mammals.
  

• Drosera, commonly known as the sundews, is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants with at least 194 species.
•  They lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucilaginous glands covering their leaf surfaces. 
• Sundews are perennial (or rarely annual) herbaceous plants. Sundews have been shown to be able to achieve a lifespan of 50 years.

• A lichen is a symbiotic association between one or two fungus species and an alga or cyanobacterium (blue-green algae). Lichens were once classified as single organisms, until the advent of microscopy, when the association of fungi with algae or cyanobacteria became evident.
• Lichens may have powdery masses on their surface. These are the tiny bits of the lichen body which will be shed to form new lichens.
  

Algal bloom is a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in an acquatic system. The nutrients like potassium and nitrogen are key nutrients for the growth of algae. The presence of these materials and availability of sunlight are key factors for the growth of algae.

Dodder plant, which belongs to the genus Cuscuta is a yellow, orange, or red (rarely green) parasitic plants. After dodder attaches itself to a plant, it wraps itself around it. If the host contains food beneficial to dodder, the dodder produces haustoria that insert themselves into the vascular system of the host. The original root of the dodder in the soil then dies.

For the canopy to spread over a large area the root system also has to be robust so as to provide enough nutrients and anchorage. Wide spreading and deep roots are tap root systems that are characteristic to dicotyledonous plants.